1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a media contents monitoring apparatus and a method thereof, and in particular to a media contents monitoring apparatus and a method thereof capable of monitoring media contents information displayed through a certain display in a remote place.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a digital broadcast is divided into a digital satellite broadcast, a ground wave digital broadcast and a cable digital broadcast.
Those digital broadcasts respectively use different transmission mediums such as a satellite, a ground wave and a cable, etc. However, a video/audio data compression method and a transmission stream format of a digital broadcast signal are the same mostly.
At present, a transmission stream format basically used in the digital broadcast is defined in ISC/IEC 13818-1 standard.
In the transmission stream format standard, video and audio signals are transmitted as a 188 byte packet format having a MPEG2 transmission stream structure, and each packet consists of 4 byte header having information about packet format and 184 byte payload.
In addition, information about a transmission network state, a kind of program, etc. can be transmitted by being added to the video or audio signal, such information is transmitted to a reception side as a data format having a table form.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the conventional digital television receiver, and FIG. 2 illustrates a transmission stream format structure of a broadcast signal.
As depicted in FIG. 1, a channel unit 100 of the digital television receiver performs synchronization and demodulation about a transmission stream of a broadcast signal received according to control of a microcomputer 110, converts the synchronized and demodulated broadcast signal into a digital signal, corrects an error occurred in the transmission process and outputs it to a demultiplexer 120.
The demultiplexer 120 divides the broadcast signal received from the channel unit 100 into a video signal and an audio signal and outputs them to an A/V decoder 130.
Herein, as depicted in FIG. 2, the transmission stream format of the broadcast signal transmitted to the channel unit 100 is an 188 byte packet format having a header 200 and a payload 210.
Herein, the header 200 includes a synchronous signal 212, a transmission error indication 214, a unit start indication 216, a transmission priority 218, a PID (packet identifier) 220 designating a MPEG-2 packet and cyclic counter information 222.
In addition, the PID 220 includes film rating information (informing audiences age guideline) of a program such as a movie.
For example, when a program is G (general audiences) rated, film rating information bit is displayed as 0, when a program is NC-17 (no one 17 and under admitted) rated, film rating information bit is displayed as 1.
In the meantime, when the film rating information of the PID is constructed as 2 bit, detailed film rating such as a NC-15 (no one 15 and under admitted) and a R (restricted) can be informed.
The microcomputer 110 judges whether the program is G rated or NC-17 rated by the film rating information of the PID of the transmission stream format of the broadcast signal outputted from the channel unit 100.
Then, the microcomputer 110 loads information for displaying the G rated or the NC-17 rated from a memory 140 according to the judging result, decodes the loaded information through an A/V decoder 130 and outputs it to a display unit 150.
The display unit 150 displays the film rating of the program such as the G or the NC-17 by receiving the information from the A/V decoder 130.
Accordingly, a guardian watching the digital television (the display unit 150) can check whether the pertinent media contents is the G rated or the NC-17 rated through the displayed film rating and can protect minors from noxious media contents.
However, contrary to a provider's expectations who provides film rating information about media contents, film rating information may stimulate curiosity of minors.
In more detail, when the guardian leaves a house because of a travel or a meeting or a business, etc. and minors watch media contents, film rating information may be misused as information stimulating curiosity of the minors.
As described above, the film rating information indicating the G or the NC-17 can perform its original function properly only when the guardian watches a pertinent media together with the minors.
Accordingly, although the minors watch noxious media contents by using a display apparatus such as a digital television receiver or a video cassette recorder or a DVD player without the knowledge of the guardian, the guardian can not check that.